"I've Been Meaning to Ask: Where Do We Go From Here?" Part 2

   

The First United Presbyterian Church of Loveland

“I’ve Been Meaning to Ask: Where Do We Go From Here?”

Rev. Amy Morgan

August 22, 2021

Acts 10

In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. 2 He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.

 3 One afternoon at about three o'clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius." 4 He stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" He answered, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.

 5 Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; 6 he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside."

 7 When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, 8 and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa.

 9 About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance.

 11 He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 Then he heard a voice saying, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat."

 14 But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean."

 15 The voice said to him again, a second time, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane."

 16 This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.

 17 Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon's house and were standing by the gate. 18 They called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there.

 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Look, three men are searching for you. 20 Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them."

 21 So Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?"

 22 They answered, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say."

 23 So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from Joppa accompanied him.

 24 The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

 25 On Peter's arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him.

 26 But Peter made him get up, saying, "Stand up; I am only a mortal."

 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled;

 28 and he said to them, "You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?"

 30 Cornelius replied, "Four days ago at this very hour, at three o'clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. 31 He said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.' 33 Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say."

 34 Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ-- he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:

 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

 44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.

 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47 "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"

 48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

It’s not often that we read a whole chapter of the Bible on a Sunday morning, but for us to hear what is really happening in this story, we have to hear the whole thing. Because I want us to have time for conversation on this final Sunday of our sermon series, I’ll keep my comments this morning brief. But I want to lift up a few important things about this text. 

First, we need to understand how much rule-breaking and boundary-crossing is going on in this story. We have a Roman Centurion, in a distinctively culturally Roman city, who is a God-fearing man. This means that even though he was what the Bible calls a gentile, or non-Jewish person, he believed in the God of Israel. Not only did he believe, he practiced his faith in this God, praying constantly and giving generously. 

But he was not Jewish. And this was important. Because we have to remember that the early Christian movement was a Jewish movement. Jesus’s disciples were Jewish, Jesus’ primary mission was to the Jews. And up to this point in the book of Acts, the mission of the church has been centered in the synagogues and focused on the Jewish people. But just prior to this story, the mission has expanded slightly. Phillip has brought the gospel to Samaria, the disfavored second cousin of the Israelite family. And he’s baptized an exotic Ethiopian eunuch. But what happens in this story goes way beyond all of that. 

The vision that God gives to Peter communicates that the church is done with dipping its toe in to the broader pool of humanity. It’s time to go all in. All bets are off. Dietary laws are just the start. The doors of the church are about to be thrown open wide. Peter is sent to the home of someone he would never be invited to interact with, and gentiles are filled with the Holy Spirit. No animal is deemed unclean, and no people are, either, in the new community of Jesus Christ. 

There’s a conversion here that happens in Cornelius and the friends and family he invites to meet Peter. But there’s also a conversion that happens in Peter. In this story, everyone is given eyes to see and ears to hear that God’s family is bigger than they had ever imagined. 

The other thing I want us not to miss in this passage is the frequent mention of homes, and food, and hospitality. This is not accidental. God could have chosen any of the Jewish laws to illustrate to Peter that the good news of Jesus Christ needed to be shared with gentiles. Circumcision was a much more controversial subject than dietary laws where this debate was concerned. But the focus of the vision is on food, and the setting of the story is on two houses – because hospitality – eating together and inviting one another into our personal spaces – is essential to crossing the boundaries that allow us to build relationships and chart out a future together. 

At 1^st on 4^th, we have a reputation, I think, and maybe pride ourselves on it, for being inclusive and welcoming and hospitable. Our Deacons are doing a phenomenal job of getting our after-church fellowship up and going again. They also provided beautiful hospitality to the Presbytery this past week. We’ve invited several new groups into our spiritual home and are looking at ways to continue and expand that invitation. 

But I expect God has a vision for us that is even bigger. Someone in our community is dreaming of being welcomed into this community, into this space. And you all have been sharing dreams and visions of extending our mission out into this community in new and meaningful ways. And one of these days, those visions are going to meet up, and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit will be undeniable in that encounter. 

As we prepare ourselves to catch that vision and dream that dream, I’m going to invite you into some conversation around where you’ve already experienced boundaries being crossed, what that looked like and felt like. And I’m going to invite you to share what your dream for this church looks like. At the end, I’m going to invite folks, if they want to, to share any common themes that come up in your discussions. 

So we’ll start with our first conversation topic today: share about a time you found common ground with someone who is different from you. 

2^nd question: What is a dream you have for your faith community? In what ways would you like to see your community grow or shift?